3 Customer Service Lessons From Starbucks

Here's something to think about: By 2020, consumers will manage 85 percent of their relationships without having to talk to a human. In today's SoLoMo environment, your customers are more likely to do their own research about your company before your first point of contact with them, and you only have one chance to make a first impression.

Starbucks, the goliath of coffee, has made a name for itself with its customer service. For good or bad, its strategy has helped the company become recognized the world over. Janet Bailey, director of customer service at Starbucks, shared some of her top digital customer service tips in last week's [24]7webinar, "The Last Digital Mile: Orchestrating Channels, Data & Design to Thrive in a Digital World." Below are three takeaways on how you can apply Starbucks’ customer service strategy to your brand:

1. Meet your customers where they want to be met. Find the white space and where your audience is reaching out to you and put emphasis on that platform. Overall, Starbucks has 35 million likes on its Facebook page, 8 million followers on Twitter and 4.8 million followers on Instagram. Starbucks is constantly reaching out to its customers on these platforms for feedback and engaging in conversation.

2. Think mobile, mobile, mobile! It's not surprising that 18 percent of Starbucks Card transactions come through its mobile app. Consumers spend more time today connecting on their phone than on any other device. It's important to tailor your mobile experience to your audience. Do they prefer an app? A mobile-optimized site? When and how frequently are your customers visiting your mobile site and/or app?

3. Focus on personalization. Starbucks recognizes that it's not just about the product, it's also about the experience. Each Starbucks location you walk into has the same look and feel, yet is personalized to the geographic area. Baristas serve your coffee to you by name. And if it isn't exactly what you ordered, they make sure to correct it and ask how they can make your experience better. Just recently, Starbucks announced a deal with Spotify where employees will make personalized playlists for each store location.